Thames Clippers (7)

Keith Prince: Will you examine the contractual arrangements which govern the operation of Uber Thames Clippers by Transport for London in the interests of transparency, accountability and competition rules?

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2020/3640.

Grenfell inquiry representation

Andrew Dismore: Will you lobby the Government to ask for a representative of the local community to sit as the third panellist on the Grenfell Inquiry?

The Mayor: On 14 October 2020, Ali Akbor OBE was appointed as the third panel member to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry by the Cabinet Office. He brings vast experience of housing to the role and I hope will be a valuable member of the Inquiry.
I must question why it took the Prime Minister 263 days to make this appointment following the resignation of Benita Mehra. I had raised the importance of this replacement panel member issue with Government on 29 January 2020, 12 June 2020 and again on the 29 July 2020. It has been more than three years since the tragic fire and the loss of 72 innocent lives. It is vital the Grenfell Tower Inquiry continues without any further disruption or delay.

Traffic safety measures for pedestrian crossing at junction of Upper Richmond Road with Sheen Road

Tony Arbour: Will the Mayor commit to directing TfL to immediately undertake an investigation into safety issues at the traffic light controlled pedestrian crossing on the junction of the A205 Upper Richmond Road West with Sheen Road in order to address the dangerous and sometimes illegal behaviour of drivers at this location, which include driving over the crossing when the lights indicate right of way is with pedestrians, and stopping on the crossing itself, thus impairing the ability of pedestrians to traverse the road safely?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) has a scheme to address road danger and improve pedestrian and cycling facilities along the A205 Upper Richmond Road West between Sheen Lane and Priests Bridge Avenue. At the Sheen Lane junction, several changes are proposed including the introduction of a diagonal crossing facility. The proposals include reducing the speed limit in this area to 20mph.
TfL published its Revised Budget in July following the collapse in passenger revenue caused by coronavirus. This means that the scheme is currently on hold until a long-term, sustainable funding deal is reached with Government.
TfL works in partnership with the police, providing substantial funding to the MPS Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC), who carry out enforcement and engagement activities, on an intelligence led basis, across the capital. TfL works in close partnership with the MPS RTPC to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on London’s roads through targeted enforcement, engagement and education.

Waterloo and City Line

Caroline Pidgeon: Please provide an update as to when this London Underground line will re-open and the continued grounds for its closure?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) is wholly committed to playing its part in supporting London’s economy and that of the country as a whole by providing safe, clean, reliable and well-managed transport services.Following the height of the coronavirus pandemic, TfL quickly returned to normal levels of services across the vast majority of its network.
The Waterloo & City line and Central line operate a shared pool of train operators. The Central line is one of the busiest on the network, and throughout the pandemic, has seen a smaller decline in customer numbers than other lines, which has enabled TfL to support the journeys of many people who are less able to work from home. As a result, TfL prioritised Waterloo & City line train operators to the Central line to ensure it can run a frequent and reliable service, enabling social distancing where demand remains comparatively high.
TfL is continuing to closely monitor customer demand to inform its decision about when to re-open the Waterloo & City line. This includes monitoring daily arrivals at Waterloo mainline station, which have remained low, and demand on alternative routes between Waterloo and Bank.

TfL network usage (1)

Gareth Bacon: How many incidences of overcrowding have there been on the TfL network since the lockdown period began? Which line(s) and/or station(s) were affected by each incidence?

The Mayor: Since the lockdown period begun there have been three incidents where trains did not stop at certain stations as a mitigation measure to prevent overcrowding. This took place on 31 March, 1 April and 2 April, all at West Ham during the early part of lockdown. This was due to a reduced service being run on the Jubilee line at the time, due to coronavirus-related train operator absence.
There have been no station closures due to crowding.

Buildings with Dangerous Cladding in London

Caroline Pidgeon: Please provide a list of all residential buildings in London with dangerous types of cladding, broken down by i) the type of cladding, ii) those over and below 18 metres tall, and iii) by borough.

The Mayor: The GLA only holds information on buildings applying to one of the three cladding remediation funds that it delivers in London on behalf of the Government. The GLA is committed to protecting the anonymity of residents and therefore does not release details of London buildings applying to the Private and Social ACM Cladding Remediation Funds and the Building Safety Fund.

London’s small businesses in railway arches (2)

Caroline Russell: Thank you for your answer to my question 2020/0435. When do you expect to publish your Small Business Policy, setting out its wider approach to small and micro businesses, including specific measures of social value”?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) continues to support small businesses across its commercial estate. TfL was preparing to publish a Small Business Policy, including its approach to measuring social value, later this year. However, given the coronavirus pandemic and after speaking to small and medium businesses on its estate, TfL has decided to take more time to finalise the policy to ensure it meets the future needs of its small business customers. TfL now expects to publish Small Business Policy next year instead.

Congestion Charge (2)

Florence Eshalomi: What estimate has the Mayor/ TfL made with regards to the economic impact on businesses of extending the hours of the congestion charge?

The Mayor: As per my response to 2020/2581, congested roads are a major barrier to economic recovery.
In advance of making the temporary changes to the Congestion Charge, TfL undertook an Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) including an economic impact assessment which informed my decision. TfL identified the impacts on businesses as part of this. The overall impact on businesses and the economy was assessed as positive. This is due to factors such as the temporary changes benefiting the economy as a whole by mitigating the effect of increased costs to businesses from higher traffic levels and additional congestion, enabling more people to access businesses through active travel (key to economic recovery while public transport capacity is constrained by social distancing requirements) and improving journey times and reliability for essential freight and servicing traffic. The full IIA document can be found here: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/appendices_1-4_1.pdf

Thames Clippers (2)

Keith Prince: When did the Deputy Mayor for Transport last meet with Transport for London to discuss anti-competitive practices concerning Uber Thames Clippers and existing scheduled Thames passenger boat operators?

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2020/3640.

Thames Clippers (4)

Keith Prince: What steps are you and the Deputy Mayor for Transport taking to ensure that Transport for London is open, transparent and accountable in its operating relationship with Uber Thames Clippers for both the award of operating contracts and its decision not to impose the same pier landing fees faced by other scheduled passenger operators on them?

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2020/3640.

Thames Clippers (3)

Keith Prince: What discussions have you had with your Deputy Mayor for Transport to discuss the impact of unfair competition between Uber Thames Clippers and other scheduled Thames passenger boat operators?

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2020/3640.

Coronavirus Advertising Spend

Shaun Bailey: How much money have you spent to date on advertising and/or marketing campaigns in relation to the coronavirus pandemic? Please give a breakdown by campaign and type of advertising.

The Mayor: The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on London, the like of which our generation has never seen. The social and economic impact of both the outbreak, as well as the restrictions needed to tackle it, have had far-reaching and long-lasting effects on our city and will be felt by all Londoners in some way, be it direct health impacts, mental wellbeing or loneliness, financial insecurity, supporting loved ones and those in isolation, working on the frontline, or making drastic lifestyle changes.
It has been essential that the GLA supports London and Londoners through this time, whether that be through disseminating public health guidelines in over 30 languages to Londoners who don’t speak English well, driving Londoners to the Pay It Forward platform to help keep businesses afloat, or providing access to mental health or bereavement support.
The total spend to date on marketing campaigns related to coronavirus is £87,385.70. £47,108.92 of this has been spent for far on advertising, and £40,276.78 has been spent on all other campaign costs, including production of content.
£70,717.47 of this was spent on my #LondonTogether campaign, which was launched in March in response to this crisis to support Londoners through the pandemic. This campaign has been used to deliver critical health guidance messages, encouraging Londoners to follow expert advice to help save lives and help to control the spread of the virus. This has included the amplification of government guidance, as well as persuading Londoners to follow the rules. The #LondonTogether campaign has also communicated critical support messages through the pandemic - from the promotion of resources that offer support services, such as mental health support, bereavement support and small business support; to messages of thanks for key workers and Londoners, helping to unite Londoners through this difficult time.
£16,668.23 of the overall spent was spent on my Pay it Forward campaign, which specifically helps Londoners to support small businesses affected by the pandemic by pre-paying for goods or services or by making donations to their favourite local businesses. This campaign has raised awareness of the scheme amongst Londoners so they are able to help, and encouraged more businesses to sign up so they can benefit from the scheme. Already over £875,000 has been raised by over 330 businesses, with the support of over 12,000 Londoners.

The End of Rail Franchising

Alison Moore: Will the end of the Rail Franchising system in the UK speed up devolution of metro rail routes in London to TfL?

The Mayor: The Government's announcement to end the rail franchising systempresents an opportunity for railways to become more responsive to local interests and strengthens the case for devolved metro rail services.
In addition to the Government's announcement, which also introduced the interim replacement of the rail franchising system with Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements for up to 18 months, the final publication of the Williams' Rail Review and the Government's White Paper that is expected to include the Department for Transport's response to the Review are anticipated. It is expected that these documents may provide further clarity on the intention and timeframes of the future of the railways.

London is Open Campaign KPIs

Shaun Bailey: What KPIs are you using to measure the performance of the London is Open Campaign?

The Mayor: I launched the London is Open campaign in June 2016 in response to the EU referendum, in order to reassure Londoners and our international partners that this continues to be an open, welcoming and prosperous city for all.
Since then, the campaign has continued to support London and Londoners. This involves promoting our city, it’s businesses and attractions, and helping vulnerable audiences like European Londoners and small businesses prepare for Brexit. KPIs focus on the engagement with Londoners:
The above activities have played an important part in showing the world that London remains entrepreneurial, international and full of possibility, while reassuring more than one million EU Londoners who live in London that they will always belong here.